Sheffield United: Overlapping centre backs
Last season’s recipient of the League Managers Association’s manager of the year prize was not Guardiola, who took Manchester City to the first-ever domestic treble in English football history. It wasn’t Jurgen Klopp, who won the European Cup, or even the man he defeated in that final, Mauricio Pochettino.
Instead, it went to Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, who followed the previous three Premier League champions – Claudio Ranieri, Conte and Guardiola – to take the prize. It was not merely recognition of the fact he took the Championship’s pre-season 12th-favourites to automatic promotion, but also that his side played in a genuinely revolutionary manner.
“They play a very unique style that I really enjoy watching,” said Lee Johnson, manager of Bristol City. “You’ve got a lot of sexy names and the foreign flair (managing in the Championship) but he’s winning this type of award, which I think is great. And he’s had to do it the hard way effectively – by being a non-League manager and building his way up.”
Even those with the sexy names and the foreign flair found themselves mesmerised by Wilder’s approach.
“I would say the Sheffield United head coach is someone with new ideas and I have seen very few people with these ideas,” said Leeds’ Argentinian head coach Marcelo Bielsa, whose style seemed set to dominate the Championship last season. Instead, it was Wilder who proved inspirational.
“Usually when you observe someone, you don’t observe what you see every day, you observe new things,” Bielsa continued. “The ideas of our next opponent deserve to be studied… I saw things in Sheffield United that I wanted to develop and I couldn’t do it. I don’t know the history of the head coach but he has done very well.”
Wilder’s default formation was a 3-4-1-2, unusual enough in the Championship. But the truly unique aspect of his system was the manner in which the centre backs operated: Left-sided Jack O’Connell and right-sided Chris Basham were instructed to make extremely aggressive, overlapping runs towards the touchlines, into crossing positions. In turn, the wing backs would tuck inside, ready to switch the play, sometimes finding themselves in goal-scoring positions.
Such an unusual role is perfect for two players with an unusually complete skill set. Wilder pushing his centre backs into crossing positions would be useless if they didn’t boast the quality to provide dangerous deliveries into the box.
O’Connell is a solid, no-nonsense defender who also whips in fine crosses – think Giorgio Chiellini. He might just replicate the achievement of his girlfriend, fellow left-sided defender Alex Greenwood, in representing England. Right-sided Basham joined the club in 2014 as a midfielder and is therefore comfortable pushing into more advanced positions.
Wilder’s system originally emerged as a response to sides who sat deep on the edge of their own penalty box, parking the bus and preventing Sheffield United from passing their way through. It was a logical, if simple solution: Push extra players forward.
A classic example came for Billy Sharp’s 83rd-minute opener in a 2-0 victory at Reading last season. United built an attack with three players down the right – right-sided forward David McGoldrick, attacking midfielder Mark Duffy and right-wing back George Baldock.
Reading initially had numbers to cope, getting three players out wide to shut down the Blades’ trio. But Duffy held onto the ball, while both McGoldrick and Baldock made runs inside to create space for Basham on the overlap.
Basham’s driven cross was deflected towards Sharp, lingering at the far post, for a simple tap-in.
Wilder’s approach became so successful that his wide centre backs started to push forward more quickly. Their speedy attacking transitions were often magnificent, with both wing back and centre back down one flank sprinting forward immediately after possession was regained.
A good example was the only goal at West Brom in February, headed in by loanee Kieran Dowell.
United were defending a throw in from their left back position and, after winning possession, central midfielder Oliver Norwood brought the ball forward. Immediately, to his right, wing back Kieron Freeman and right-sided centre back Martin Cranie advanced.
Norwood played in Freeman, who waited for Cranie’s overlap.
Freeman’s pass was slightly overhit but Cranie slid in, hooking the ball back from the byline towards Dowell, whose header looped in.
It’s significant that none of the trio who combined for this goal were regulars in the starting XI – Wilder’s system works, regardless of the individuals.
For a similar approach in an alternative situation, see the Blades’ opener in their 4-2 October win over Wigan. They won a throw-in level with the edge of the opposition box: Basham went across to take it, before leaving the duty to right-wing back Freeman. Initially, Basham positioned himself in a simple supporting position for a backwards throw.
But after some clever movement from McGoldrick to create space, Basham sprinted in behind and received the throw-in from Freeman.
Basham’s low ball from the byline was forced over the line for an own goal.
The obvious concern when using this approach is the possibility of being exposed to opposition counterattacks and Wilder has happily admitted that “we leave ourselves wide open at times” with this commitment to pushing centre backs forward.
Still, their defensive record last season was excellent – the joint-best record in the division alongside a Middlesbrough side playing typically Tony Pulis football. Their 41 goals-against was 16 fewer than champions Norwich allowed, and 20 less than the other promoted side, Aston Villa. Their defensive record owed much to the positioning of Norwood and fellow midfielder John Fleck, who covered intelligently as the defenders overlapped.
Wilder may nevertheless have to temper his approach in the Premier League, where there are more sides capable of launching rapid counterattacks.
You can imagine his side being on the end of a thrashing in the early weeks, but you can also envisage his unique system causing more illustrious opponents serious problems.
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